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Texas School District Accused of Test Tampering

The Austin school district and a deputy superintendent were indicted today on charges of tampering with statewide tests to make their students appear smarter.

''This is not a happy day, but this action gives us the vehicle to try to correct the problems throughout the system,'' Ken Oden, the prosecutor, said.

A grand jury handed up 16 indictments against the Austin Independent School District and a 16-count indictment against the deputy superintendent, Margaret Kay Psencik.

The district and Ms. Psencik are accused of tampering with Texas Assessment of Academic Skills tests, which are used to rate and compare Texas schools. The charges say they altered identification numbers on the tests of 16 students who had done poorly, so the tests would not be counted.

''Proceeding legally against both the individuals and the district itself will give us the chance to seek both personal accountability and improvement in the whole system as well,'' Mr. Oden said.

The school district could face fines as high as $160,000. Ms. Psencik could face up to a year in jail.

Mr. Oden said the Austin school district could be held legally liable for the criminal acts of its employees. He emphasized that the indictment did not charge or imply personal wrongdoing by school board members, but said additional indictments were possible.